2008 Acura RL Owner's Manual

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Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inf lated to
the inf lation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manuf acturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inf lation
pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a
dif f erent size than the size indicated
on the vehicle placard or tire
inf lation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inf lation
pressure f or those tires.)As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale
when one or more of your tires is
signif icantly under-inf lated.
Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure.Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inf lation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
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Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malf unction indicator
to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS
malf unction indicator is combined
with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a
malf unction, the telltale will f lash f or
approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists.TPMS malf unctions may occur f or a
variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS f rom
f unctioning properly.
Always check the TPMS malf unction
telltale af ter replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to f unction
properly.
When the malf unction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
Technical Inf ormation
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The burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas.
In Canada, Acura vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specif ied in an
agreement with Environment
Canada, at the time they are
manuf actured.
Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the
intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f .
The United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on pages
and .
374394
The Clean Air Act
Crankcase Emissions Control
System Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
Emissions Cont rols
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The exhaust emissions controls
include f our systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, exhaust gas
recirculation, and three way catalytic
converter. These f our systems work
together to control the engine’s
combustion and minimize the
amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
come out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.
The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport f uel injection.
It has three subsystems: air intake,
engine control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM)
uses various sensors to determine
how much air is going into the
engine. It then controls how much
f uel to inject under all operating
conditions.This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
system takes some of the exhaust
gas and routes it back into the intake
manif old. Adding exhaust gas to the
air/f uel mixture reduces the amount
of NOx produced when the f uel is
burned.
The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work
together in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Acura replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
quality parts may increase the
emissions f rom your vehicle.
The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual for more informa-
tion.
The three way catalytic converters
are in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, they convert HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement Parts
PGM-FI System Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Exhaust Gas Recirculat ion (EGR)Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Emissions Cont rols
Technical Inf ormation
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The three way catalytic converters
contain precious metals that serve as
catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converters are ref erred
to as three-way catalysts, since they
act on HC, CO, and NOx.
Replacement units must be original
Acura parts or their equivalent.
The three way catalytic converters
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. They can set on f ire any
combustible materials that come
near them. Park your vehicle away
f rom high grass, dry leaves, or other
f lammables.A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle’s three way
catalytic converters.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converters
inef f ective.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Keep the engine well maintained.
Three Way Catalytic Converters
474
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTERSTHREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
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If you take your vehicle f or an
emissions test shortly af ter the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected,
and set again only after several days
of driving under a variety of
conditions.If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.
Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, f ull (around
3/4). Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
Keep the vehicle in Park. Increase
the engine speed to 2,000 rpm, and
hold it there until the temperature
gauge rises to at least 1/4 of the
scale (about 3 minutes).
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 6
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 40° and
95°F. Without touching the accelerator
pedal and let the engine idle f or 20
seconds.
1.
2.
3. 4.
5.
6.
CONT INUED
T esting of Readiness Codes
Emissions T esting
Technical Inf ormation
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Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
Stop the vehicle, turn of f the
ignition switch, and leave it of f f or
30 minutes.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.
Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
f or at least 20 minutes. Drive on
the highway in D. Do not use the
cruise control. When traf f ic allows,
drive f or 90 seconds without
moving the accelerator pedal.
(Vehicle speed may vary slightly;
this is okay.) If you cannot do this
f or a continuous 90 seconds
because of traf f ic conditions, drive
f or at least 30 seconds, then repeat
it two more times (f or a total of 90
seconds).
7. 8.
9.
Emissions T esting
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Client ServiceInf ormation .478
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Warranty Coverages .479
Reporting Saf ety Def ects
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(U.S. Vehicles) .480
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Authorized Manuals .481
Warranty and Client Relations
Warrant y and Client Relat ions
477
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